[jTF2]

Hey guys

Y'all know that to get GOOD sound from watching movies, one must purchase something like a 5.1 surround sound system (correct me if Im wrong).

Now how do I get that surround (forward, back, left, right) sound from headphones?

Will any headphones work or do I have to purchase something that has 4+ individual drivers... something like this?

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...343&CatId=2382

Quote:

Ear Force X-52 headphones give PC gamers a competitive edge by reproducing 5.1 surround sound via eight high-quality speakers. Unlike stereo headphones, the X-52's can reproduce 3D positional sound cues that are otherwise obtainable only with surround sound speaker systems, which are inconvenient to set up and often disturb others online or nearby.

I have an AKG 26p and Super fi 5 EB. Will those suffice or can I get something better to get an awesome movie sound experience.

 

[StealthR6]

Awesome HP for movies = Beyerdynamic DT770Pro80, Sennheiser HD595, Audio Technica A900/A950LTD
5.1 cans suck, don't buy into the advertising. Well at least the price point under $1k

Most DVD playback software allows you to select Dobly headphone for movies. I watch movies at night on my computer and this sounds great w/ my DAC, amp and DT770's using Nvidia Purevideo DVD decoder platinum.

 

[jbloudg20]

Get a Sennheiser Surrounder

 

[kdread]

DT770's will make most people's best-buy quality surround systems sound crappy. Excellent headphone for movies.

 

[Duggeh]

The Surrounder is the only option that truly works short of making your own. I'm putting together new cabling for mine at the minute which will finally let me run it from a DVD player instead of just a soundcard.

Good luck finding one though. They don't come up very often and are often in poor condition. You'll also probably baulk at the impracticability of one as they stretch the term headphone to its limit.

 

[dmk005]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Surrounder is the only option that truly works short of making your own. I'm putting together new cabling for mine at the minute which will finally let me run it from a DVD player instead of just a soundcard. Good luck finding one though. They don't come up very often and are often in poor condition. You'll also probably baulk at the impracticability of one as they stretch the term headphone to its limit.

As opposed to a "reach-around"

 

[Y5220]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jTF2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hey guys Y'all know that to get GOOD sound from watching movies, one must purchase something like a 5.1 surround sound system (correct me if Im wrong). Now how do I get that surround (forward, back, left, right) sound from headphones? Will any headphones work or do I have to purchase something that has 4+ individual drivers... something like this? http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...343&CatId=2382 I have an AKG 26p and Super fi 5 EB. Will those suffice or can I get something better to get an awesome movie sound experience.

Hi, and welcome to Head-Fi!

I'm not familiar with the phones you mention. In any case, here are some thoughts on your post.

1. Apart from the physical impact of deep bass that you can get from full-range speakers or good subwoofers, and apart from the fact that headphones are not a social experience, headphones are perfect for movies. They give me what feels like a totally immersive experience. No stereo setup comes even close, and, from what I hear, only a top-notch, mega-buck surround setup can compete with the headphone experience -- and even then only in an acoustically treated, well-proportioned room; otherwise, reflections will be a killjoy. Wheeeew!

2. For a top-notch movie experience, you need a lot more than just headphones. I recommend a good amp/DAC combo, assuming $$ is a sensitive topic. How are you doing on that front? It's good to get some of that AC noise killed too. (I often dream of AC regenerators.

)

3. My best headphone experience for movies is provided by the JVC HP-DX1000, my most expensive cans. My least expensive cans -- the Beyerdynamic DT990, 250-ohm version -- makes a very good approximation, but it's fussy, it can't be coupled with bright-sounding amps. Soundstaging (all right, headstaging!) is vital, IMO, for the movie experience, and, for that, those are the best phones I've tried. (The AKG K701's soundstaging is as wide as, or maybe slightly wider than, the 990's, but not as deep, and it just can't compete with those phones for bass impact.) The DX1000 often gives me that kind of creepy out-of-head experience that makes me think my speakers are on! Both of those cans have what it takes to make explosions sound really dangerous.

4. Keep asking. The more information about your preferences you add, the better the results will be.

Cheers,

 

[ericj]

The Sennheiser DSP Pro does the simulated surround thing reasonably well but i have to admit that I've used my DSP Pro exactly once.

I understand you can pair it with the Surrounder for great justice.